Means for producing tubular knit ribbed fabric



Dec. 6, 1932. J. SAFTLAS 1,890,417

MEANS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR KNIT RIBBED FABRIC 7 Original Filed Sept. 9, 193C 8 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 6, 1932.

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MEANS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR KNIT RIBBED FABRIC Original Filed Sept. 9, 1950 8 SheetsSheet 5 Dec. 6, 1932. J. SAFTLAS I MEANS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR KNIT RIBBED FABRIC Original Filed Sept. 9, 1930 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Dec. 6, 1932.

J. SAFTLAS Original Filed all! 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 E w 5 U k\\\\\\\\ GO a; :2 a g 1 582; ia 'w y- Dec. 6, 1932.

J; SAFTLAS MEANS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR KNIT RIBBED FABRIC Original Filed Sept. 9. 1930 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Dec. 6, 1932. J. SAFTLAS MEANS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR KNIT RIBBED FABRIC Original Filed Sept. 9, 1930 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Dec. 6, 1932. J; SAFTLAS R 1,890,417

' MEANS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR KNIT RIBBED FABRIC Original Filed Sept. 9, 1930 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 2w 17' az 2i Jig 5kg;

Patented Dec. 6, 1932 JOSEPH SAFTLAS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA MEANS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR KNIT RIIBBED FABRIC Original application filed September 9, 1930, Serial No. 480,766. Divided and this application filed. June 5,

This invention relates to tubular rib knit fabric from which articles of wearing ap parel such as cardigan jackets, sweaters, en-

' sembles, etc. are made. The fabric, forming the subject of my invention, comprises the use of two different and independent threads, or multiples thereof, wherein one thread ofa pair appears on the outside of the fabric as a background for a design which is formed by the other thread of the pair being drawn to'the'said outside face of the fabric. On the reverse, or inside, face of the fabric the thread which forms the design on the outside face forms the background on the inside face, and the thread which forms the background on the outside face of the fabric forms the designon the inside face of the fabric. The design appearing on the inside face lies directly behind the design appearing'on the outside face.

The formation of the designs on the opposite faces of the fabric is effected by means of tucking, for example, the inside face of the fabric may be composed of tuck stitches except where the design appears and at such places the designed portion of the inside face of the fabric is composed of regular stitches, while on the outside face of the fabric the background is composed of regular stitches and the design is formed of tuck stitches, thus the opposite faces of the fabric'are the reverse of each other. Obviously the order may be reversed, i. e. the outside face may be composed of tuck stitches and the inside face may be composed of regular stitches.

In carrying out my invention, to obtain a certain desirable effect, I employ a silk, or rayon, thread and a wool thread as each pair of threads.

40 mannerthat the rayon or silk thread will be thrown to the inside face predominately and the wool thread will be thrown to the outside face, thus on the outside face the design appears in silk on a background of wool and on the inside face the design appears in wool e on a background of rayon or silk.

,I n producing the fabric I may employ a standard well-known make of knitting machine modified and equipped with-certain attachments also forming the subject of my in- I arrange the threads in such a second thread feed;

Serial No. 542,375.

formed in a ring surrounding the cylinder with the hooks pointing toward the center of the machine and the shanks lying outside the cylinder. I

I am aware that designs have been formed on one face, i. e. the inside face, of tubular rib knit fabric by the use of a single pattern wheel operating on the cylinder needles of a machine of the type above described, but the object of my invention is to produce the design on both faces of the fabric, by employing a pattern wheel for controlling the dial needles in co-operation with the pattern wheel operating on the cylinder needles. The fabric and the mechanism for producing it will be fully disclosed hereinafter, ref- 'erence being had to the accompanying draw-' ings, of which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic view of the fabric illustrating the outside wales with a simple form of design depicted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the inside wales of the fabric with the design depicted til erepn in reverse to the design shown in .Fig. 3 is adiagrammatic view of the fabric illustrating the, stitch formation;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of the machine illustrating the relation between the pattern wheels and the thread feeds;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view illustrating one set of ,pattern wheels and a thread feed adjacent thereto;

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 66, Fig. 5; a

Fig. 7 is a face view of one set of cams for operating the cylinder needlss at the thread feed shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the dial cams at the A100 Fig. 9 is a face view of the cylinder cams I. respectively as B and F, the thread B here after being referred to for the purpose of illustration as rayon, and the thread F being referred to as wool, the rayon being delivered to the dial and cylinder needles as the leading feed and the wool as the second feed.

The cylinder and dial wales are indicated as O and D in Fig. 3.

A'course b of stitches is illustrated at the lower portion of Fig. 3 as being composed of the ra on thread B. t

In ceding thethread F to the needles for the formation of the next course f alternate stitches of the course b and corresponding stitches of the course are held on the cylinder needles while the ial needles knit regular stitches.

' In the formation of the next course 6 of stitches formed of the rayon thread B all the needles, both cylinder and dial, cast their stitches in-the regular manner, thus on each of the cylinder needles a tuck stitch T is formed, thus therayon thread B is carried to the inside or back face of the fabric and 'the wool thread F is forced to the outer face of the fabric, the tension created in the thread forming the tuck stitches T'having the effect of drawing thread from the adjacent regular stitches. R. which are formed on the dial needles, thus burying the regular stitches R in the fabric so that the regular stitches R of the rayon will be hidden on'the front face of the fabric and the regular stitches R of the wool thread F will predominate on the front or outside face of the fabric." In this manner those parts of the fabric in which no desi n appears the wool thread F constitutes the ackground as illustrated in Fig. 1, and

the rayon thread B constitutes the background as illustrated in Fig. 2. In forming a design on the fabric the rayon thread B is d awn to the frontface of the fabric in the form of tuck stitches T T ,-which are formed on selected dial into regular stitches at. each side of each of the tuck stitches T- on the back face of the fabric, as illustrated at.RT- these regular stitches R'*'--R being formed on the cylinder needles next adjacent to. the dial needles on which the ma: stitches T1 are formed.

needles, while the wool thread F is formed In the same manner as above described, the

regular stitches Rformedof the rayon and" lying adjacent the tuck-stitches T are buried. under the regular stitches R? 2 of which the design is formed on the back face of the fabric, thus on the front face ofthe fabric the background is composed :of regular stitches of wool thread F and the design; on

said face is formed of tuckstitches of rayon and on the back face of the fabric th e back-.fi'

ground is formed of tuck stitches with the rayon thread and the design is formed of regular stitches ofthe wool thread, a's'lj illus' trated in Figs. 1 and 2, the design on the'back f face lying directly behind the desin 'n th front face. a f.

posed comprisesabedplate 1,'to wh cured a dial ring 2 having radially extending i horizontally disposed slots 3 in' vhichfiare slidablymounted dial needles 4. LT he machine also comprises a relatively fixed-cylinder 5 having vertically disposed slots 6 in which are slidably moufited cylil'ider-needlesthe cylinder needles respectively-alterna ng with-the dial needles in the"usual manner. The cylinder 5 is rigidly attached to a I central plate member 8 which is supported by the: machine in the usual;

the framework of manner.

Rotatably. mounted on the dial ring 2 is,

the usual dial cam ring 9 having a. series-of.

cams adapted toengage the butts 10 of the" dial needles 4 for radial movement in the slots 3 upon relative rotation beiug'lefi 'ected between the cam ring 9 and. the dial ring2.

Rotatably mounted on the central bed plate 8 is a revolving cam. p'latelhwhich carries a series of cams adapted to co op'erate with the butts 12 of the cylinder needles 7 for sliding the said cylinder nccdl'esverticah ly in the slots 6 upon relative rotation being effected between the cam plate [11 and the cylinder 5. The cam ring 9 and the cam plate 11' are rotated in unison inthe usual manner,

Inc

being coupledfor simultaneous rotation by the bridge member 13. d

On the cam ring 9 is a'cam 14 which, en-

gages the butts 10 of the dial needles 4, moving all theneedles radially inward. to a point where the stitchespreviously formed on the dial needles are carried back on the needles beyond the pivots of the latches thereof, but

Ill

not a suflicientdistance to causethe said stitches-to pass completely ofi' the latches onto periphery of the wheel is provided with cuts or grooves 20 which are disposed at an angle with respect to the face of the wheel but parallel to the shanks of the needles so that the butts of the needles will mesh with the grooves in the pattern wheel as a gear wheel meshes with a gear rack.

In order to form the tuck stitches by which the design is formed on the outer face of the fabric, certain of the slots 20 in the pattern wheel are provided with insertable plugs 21 and others of the said slots are not provided with such plugs. The'slots having the plugs, due to the angular disposition of the wheel with respect to the needles, causes the plugs to engage the butts of the needles which are to knit regular stitches to form the background of the outerface of the fabric. a

As the wheel revolves upon relative rotation of the ring 9 with respect to the needles A the plugs 21 engage the needles with which they are to co-operate and advance the said needles to a point where the stitches hanging on these needles drop behind the ends of the latches of the needles and those of the slots in which there are no plugs merely mesh with the butts -10 of the needles with which they co-operate, but do not afl'ect any advancement of the said needles, thus these unaffected needles hold their stitches-on top of the latches.

As the cam ring 9 rotates further the butts 10 of the needles which have been advanced by the pattern wheel are engaged by a cam 22 carried by the cam ring 9 and are thereby drawn inwardly to the point maintained by the needles which have not been advanced by the pattern wheel 15, thus the stitches on the shanks of these retracted needles are moved under the latches of the needles.

As the cam ring 9 continues to rotate the dial'needles are carried under a thread feed 25 which,in the present instance, delivers the ate the hooks thereof wool thread F to the dial needles intermediand the latch pivots thereof. f

Continued rotation of the dial cam ring 9 causes the butts 10 of the dial needles to be engaged by a knit-01f cam 26 which retracts the needles to the point where the stitches which have cleared the latches are cast from the needles to form regular stitches" and the,

'- needles which have not been advanced by the pattern wheel 15 and on which the previously formed stitches have not cleared the. latches these'stitches move up into the hooks into'engagement with the positioning cam 14- the butts 12 of the cylinder needles 7 are being controlled by a leveling cam 27 whereby the said cylinder needles have been moved to a position wherein the stitches previously formed thereon are moved along the needles to a point where the stitches lie below the pivots of the latches of these cylinder needles. As the cam ring 9 revolves to the point where the butts 10 of the dial needles 4 are acted upon by the pattern wheel 15, the butts 12 are acted upon by a pattern wheel 28 which is similar in construction to the pattern wheel 15 being provided with'slots 29 for the reception of selector plugs 30 which are adapted to raise certain of the cylinder needles to a point where the stitches previously formed on these needles are moved below the latches of the said selected cylinder needles, while those of the slots 29 in which there are no plugs merely mesh with the butts l2 of'the cylinder needles with which these unplugged slots mesh, thus these latter needles are not raised and the stitches carried thereby are held on top of the latches of these needles.

' In carrying out my invention I so arrange the plugs 30 in the slots 29 of the pattern wheel 28 that a cylinderneedle is raised at each side of each ofQthe dial needles which have been selected by the pattern wheel 15 to needles 7 are engaged by'a knit-elf cam 31 which causes the needles which have been previously raised by the pattern wheel 28 tov cast their stitches over the hooks of the needles, thereby forming new regular stitches on these needles and causing the stitches which have been held on top of the latches of the unselected needles to move up into the hooks of their needles together with the new thread delivered by the thread feed 25. I

The relation of the dial cam 26 and cylinder cam 31 is such that the dial needles first retract to pull the thread F delivered by the feed 25 tightly around the cylinder needles at the point slightly below the pivots of the latches of the cylinder needles which is a relatively thickportion of the cylinder needles, and in order to prevent this thread from being thrown oil the cylinder needles as the said cylinder needles descend and bring the relatively thin portions of the needles intermediate the latch pivots and the hooks down through the loops formed around the cylin der needles I provide on the dial. cam ring 9 *followin g the knitting cam 26 and at a point substantially in line with the lowest point of the cyllnder knitting cam 31 a take-up cam '32 which retracts the dial needles slightly as the thin portions of the cylinder needles move into the loops formed around the cylinder. needles as previously described, thus insuring that these loops will be drawn underthe hooks of the descending cylinder needles, obviating the possibility of the loop jumping over the hookof the needle and forming a drop stitch. As the dial cam ring Qand the cylinder cam plate 11. continue to rotate the feed for the rayon thread B is advanced towards the needles.

The thread feed 35 which delivers the ray 1 I 5 on thread to the needles is of similar construction to the thread feed 25 which delivers the wool thread F to the needles. The cams associated with the thread feed 35 are similar to thosepreviously described in connection with the thread feed 25 with the exception that the pattern wheels are eliminated at the particular feed. In the feed 35 the butts "of the dial needles 4 are engaged by a positioning cam 36 which advance the dial needles to a point where the stitches held thereon are moved along the needles on top of the latches thereof in preparation to receiving the new thread from the feed 35, the cylinder needles at the same time being under control of the leveling cam 38 which raises the cylinder needles to a point where the stitches'held thereby are moved alon g the needles to a point beyond the pivots of the latches, the stitches remaining on top of the latches in the same manner as the dial needles The dial needles are next engaged, by a cam 39 which moves the needles to a point where the stitches held thereby are clear of 1 the latches, that'is the needles have'been advanced so that the stitches pass completely over the latches and lie behind the same. The cylinder needles at the same time are engaged by a clearing cam 40 which raises the needles sufficiently to bring the stitches held by these needles below the points of the latches of the needles. 1

The rayon thread B- is then delivered to the needles through the thread feed 35, after which the dial needles are engaged by the I such stitches and the rayon thread which has been deliveredto such needles by the thread feed 35 is drawn to the front face of the fab- The cylinder needles are then operated upon by the stitch cam'42 which causes all the needles to cast the stitches held thereby.

forming a new stitch held in the hook of the needle. In this way the tuck stitches T are formed on the back face of the fabric sur rounding the, regular stitches R formed of the wool thread F which have been produced on the previously formed course at the thread feed 25. The regular stitches R formed at the thread feed 35 as just described are hidnoted, the

' positioning of the plugs in the cylinder and ,made by the pattern wheel, 15 will be ad-.

ric to form .tuck stitches T as illustrated needles, thus preparing the needles to cast the 'in which other portions of the design are formed bein carried on in the manner above esign being controlled by the dial pattern wheels so as to produce any outline desired. v

After the design has been completed walewise of the fabric and it is desired toflknit portions having nodesi n but in which the wool thread will appear in the front face of the fabric and the rayon thread will appear on the back face of the fabric, certain cams are, thrown into action to cancel any selections made by the pattern wheels'and other variations in the cylinder cams are effected to pro- .80 duce the tuck stitching on the inside face of I the fabric; In orderto cancel the selections made by the dial pattern wheel 15 a cam 49 in the cam assemblage associated with the thread feed 25 is provided which corresponds to the clearing cam 39 of the feed 35. In the feed 35 the clearing cam 39 is stationary, Whereas in the feed 25 the clearing cam 49 is movable radially inward to engage'the butts of the needles as they leave the cam 22, the point 43 of-this clearing cam moving into an indentation 44 formed between the retractingcam 22 and the stitch cam 26, whereby all the dial needles regardless of the selections vanced so that the stitches held thereby will. be moved clear of the latches,-that is to a point behind the points of the latches, so

that as the needles are again retracted by the stitch cam 26 all of the dialneedles will knit off the stitches previously formed thereon and forming new regular stitches of the new lyacquired thread fed .by the feed 25.

. I d t l stitch cam 41 which causes those needles n or er 0 cancel any qelectlons'made to which have held two stitches to cast both of.

the cylinder needles by the cylinder pattern wheel 28 the feed 25 is'provided with a cam 45 a which is similar to the raising cam 40 1 of the feed 35. However, the raising cam 40 of the feed 35 is stationary, whereas the rais ing cam 45 of the feed .25 ismovable verno tically so that its upper most point 46 may be moved from a plane below that of the level- 5 ing cam 27 to a point well above the plane of the leveling cam 27, so that all the cylinder needles which have been designated by the pattern wheel 28 to hold their stitches will be -moved to such a height that their respective stitches will be moved along the needles to a point below the points of the latches of the stitches-as they are engagedby the stitch cam 31. l

' In order' to maintain the tuck stitch formation onthe inside of the-fabric at'such. time the stitch cam31 is made in- .twoparts 31" and 31 respectively, the'portion 31 being stationary while the portion 31 which normally effects the casting of the stitches over the, hooks of the cylinder needles, is movable vertically.

In 'order to cause the cylinder needles to hold their stitches at the feed 25 under the circumstances above noted, the movable pertion 31 of the stitch cam 31 is raised to a point in linewith or slightly above the lowermost portion of the stationary part 31* of the stitch cam 31, thus the stitches which have been moved on the needles to a point below the ends of the latches of the needles are moved under the latches and are there held until the needles, both cylinder and dial, again come under the influence of the cams associated with the feed 35, whereupon the operations above referred to with respect to the feed 35 are carried out and all the needles, both cylinder and dial, cast the stitches held thereby and form new stitches of the newly acquired thread delivered by the feed 35.

The movable needle-advancing cam 49-of the fced'25 is secured to the inner end of a radially reciprocable rod 50, to the outer end of which is pivotally attached at 51 one end of a link 52, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected at 53 to one end of a cam lever 54. p The cam lever 54 is pivoted at 55 to the dial cam'ring 9 and is provided along one of its longitudinal edges with a cam surface 56 adapted to be engaged by the cam surface 57 formed on a vertically reciprocable actuating element 58 which is mounted for vertical sliding movement in the frame 1 and is controlled by the regular pattern mechanism of the knitting machine to be raised from a normal low position to the plane of the cam lever 54, whereupon, as the cam ring 9 revolves, the cam surface 56 of the said lever will engage the cam surface 57 of the actuating member and thereby swing the lever 54 about its pivot, drawing the needle-advancing cam 49 outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 5, wherein it does not'afiect the dial needles after their engagement with the retracting cam 22.

A spring 59 is provided tending to at all times'move the needle-advancing cam 49 into an effective position. Such movement by the spring 59, however, is prevented by means of a latch 60 which is pivoted at 61 to the dial camvring 9 and is provided with a notch 62 which co-acts with a notch 63 formed in the lever 54 to retain the lever\54 in such a position that the needle-advancing cam 49 is held in its inoperative position against the action I of the spring59 The latch 6O is held in engagement with the lever 54 by means of aspring 64. The

latch 60 is provided with a roller '65 which 1 is adapted to be engaged at the proper time to release the ca m 49 by a disc 66 which is adapted to be moved from a normal low plane below the plane of the roller 65 under the contr0l of suitable pattern mechanism into a position in the plane of the roller 65, whereby the latch 60 will release the""lever 54, permitting the cam 49 to be moved to its' operative position through the medium of the spring 59.

The cylinder needle-raising cam 45 is simultaneously controlled by the cam lever 54 by the medium of a. link.70 which is pivotally connected at one of its ends to the lever 54, as indicated at 71, the opposite end of the lever 70 being pivotally connected at 72 to one arm 73 of a bell-crank lever 74 which is pivotally mounted at 75 to an inwardly extending arm 76 carried by the dial cam ring 9.

The second arm 77 of the bell-crank lever 74 is pivotally connected at 78 to one end of a link 79, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected at 80 to a head 81 of a vertically slidable rod 82 which is slidably mounted in the arm 76 and connected at its opposite end to a carrier 83 which is slidably mounted on the cylinder cam plate for vertical movement thereon.

The needle-raising cam 45 is secured to the carrier 83 and is adapted to be moved to its operative position by a spring 84- surrounding the actuating rod 82. The cam 45 is held in its inoperative position by the latch 60 holding the cam lever 54.

The movable section 31 of the stitch cam 31 is controlled by a cam lever 85 pivoted at 86 to the dial cam ring 9. The cam lever 85 is provided with a cam surface 87 adapted to engage the cam surface 57 of theactuating element 58 immediately after the lever 54 so that as the needle-actuating cams 42 and 45 are thrown into action the cam 31" will be thrown out of action, the latter being accomplished by a link 88, one end of which is pivotally connected to the cam lever 85, as indicated at 89, the opposite end of the link 88 being connected at 90 to one arm 91 of a bell-crank lever 92 which is pivoted to a bracket 93 secured to the cylinder cam plate 11. The second arm 94 of the bell-crank lever 92 presses upon the upper end of a rod 95 which is slidably mounted for vertical movement inv the cam plate 11 and is moved yerticall upward by aspring 96 under the said ro .The cam 31 is secured to 'the lower end of the rod 95 and moves therewith. The cam 31" is maintained in its operative position by a latch 97 having a notch 98 engaging in a notch 99 formed in the cam lever 85.. l

The latch 97 is adapted to be actuated to release the lever 85 by a trip 100 which is pivotally mounted on the pivot stud 86 of the lever 85 and has its outer end 101 extending in front of the roller 102 carried on an arm 103 of the latch 97. The trip 100 is disposed in the plane of theroller 65.04 the latch 60, so'

that when the disc 66 releasesthe latch 60 the trip 100 will imediately thereafter engage the disc 66 so that the cam 31 will be moved out of action substantially at the same time as the cams 49 and 45 are moved into action.

The thread guides 25 and 35 are respectivener, a threadguide 107 being provided at the upperside of the arm 76 for guiding the threads to the respective feed eyes 25 and 35. In the above description the fabric has been described as being composed of but two threads, 'i. e. rayon and wool respectively. The machine has been described as handling these two independent threads in the production of the fabric.

In the knitting of sweater goods, etc., which is made on a machine having a cylinder of relatively large diameter production of the fabric is increased by employing additional feeds, therefore, in Fig. 4

of the drawing two rayon feeds and two wool feeds have been shown. In such a case, a wool feed follows a rayon'feed in the same man: ner as described and the plu sin the pattern wheels at the respective wool feeds are so arranged that one set of wheels, comprising a cylinder pattern wheel and a dial pattern wheel, selects for one pattern course and the next set of wheels selects for the next. pattern course, therefore,the design instead of being laid out on but one set of wheels is divided into both sets, alternate parts of the design walewise of the fabric being efl'ected by. the sets of pattern wheels respectively.

The fabric above described obviously is reversible, as the design is clearly depicted on both faces of the fabric, and while the fabric has been described, for the purpose of illus tration, as being composed of awool threadand a rayon thread any desired combination may be'utilized without sacrificing the de- 4-0 signefiect. While the wool and rayon combination accentuates the contrast between the design and' the surrounding background .other desirable effects may be obtained by the use of two threads of the same character but of different colprs and in other cases two threads of the same character and the same color may be employed. In'the latter case' the design is depicted solely by the difference existing between the stitch-of whiclrthe background iscomposed and the stitch of which the design is composed, the two difie'rent forms of stitches showing up distinctly'one against the other on each of the opposite faces.

of the fabric.

While the fabric has been described as being of a large diameter for the purpose of making sweaters, etc., obviously the princi-' ples described are adaptable to narrow tubular goods, such as neckties, etc.

"I'claim: I

1. In a circular rib knitting machine having a set of cylinder needles and a set of dial needles, the combination of apattern wheel .co-operating with one of said sets of needles to form a design in tuckstitches' and a. surrounding background inregular stitches on one face of the fabric, and a second pattern co-operating with'one of said sets of needles to form a design in tuck stitches and a. surrounding background in regular stitches on one face of the fabric, a second pattern wheel coordinately associated with 'the first said pattern wheel and co-operating with the other of said sets of needles to form a corresponding design in regular stitches and a surrounding background in tuck stitches on the opposite face of the fabric directly behind the design on the first said face thereof, cams cooperating with said needles ahead of said pattern .wheels for setting up the needles for selection by the pattern wheels, and came cooperating with the needles after the selection regular stitches in accordance with the selections made by the said'pattern wheels- 3. In a circular rib knitting machine having a set of cylinder needles and a set of dial needles, the combination of a pattern wheel co-operating with one of said sets of needles by the pattern wheels to produce the tuckand 1 to form a design in tuck stitches and a surrounding background inregular stitches on one face of the fabric, a second pattern wheel coordinately associated with the first Said pattern wheel and co-operating with the other *of said sets of needles to form a corresponding design in regular stitches and a surrounding background in tuck stitches on the opposite face of the fabric directly behindthe design on the-first said face thereof, stitch cams respectively co-operating with the dial and cylinder needles subsequent to the selections by the pattern wheels to effect casting of stitches from certain ofsaid needles in accordance with the selection. by the pattern wheels, means for feeding a thread to the v intermediate the points where thedial and cylinder needles engage their stitch came respectively.

4. In a circular rib knitting machine having a set of cylinder needles and a set of dial needles, the combination of a pattern wheel co-operatin with one of said sets of needles to forma esign in tuck stitches and a sur ..rounding background in'regular stitches on one face of the fabric, a second pattern wheel coordinately associated with the first said pattern wheel and co-o'perating withthe other of said sets of needles to form a corre- I ill ,of stitches from certain of said needles in accordance with the selection by the pattern wheels, means for feeding a thread to the needles at a point intermediate the pattern I wheels and the said stitch cams, and cams adapted to be placed in co-operative relation with the needles intermediate the thread feed and the stitch cams to cancel all selections made by said pattern wheels whereby said stitch cams will cast the stitches from all said needles. c I

5. In a circular rib knitting machine having a set of cylinder needles and a set of dial needles, the combination of a pattern wheel co-operating with one of said sets of needles to form a design in tuck stitches and a surrounding background in regular stitches on one face of the fabric, a second pattern wheel coordinately assoc'ated with the first said pattern wheel and co-operating with the other of said sets of needles to form a corresponding desi n in regular stitches and a surrounding background in tuck stitches on the opposite face of the fabric directly behind'the design on the first said face thereof, stitch cams respectively co-operating with the dial and cylinder needles subsequent to the selections by the pattern wheels to effect casting of stitches from certain of said needles in accordance with the selection by the pattern wheels, means for feeding a thread to' the needles at a point intermediate the pattern wheels and the" said stitch cams, cams adapted to be placed in co-operative relation with the needles intermediate the thread feed and the stitch cams to cancel all selections made by the pattern wheels, and means for throwing one of said stitch cams out of action whereby the set of needles controlled thereby will hold their stitches to form tuck stitches on one face of the fabric while the other of said stitch cams is casting the stitches from set of needles which it controls to form regular stitches on the opposite face of the fabric.

6. In a circular rib knitting machine having a set of cylinder needles and a set of.

dial needles, the combination of a pattern wheel co-operating with one of said sets of needles to form a design in tuck stitches and .a surrounding background in regular stitches on one face of the fabric, a second pattern wheel coordinately associated with the first said pattern wheeland co-operating with the other of said sets of needles to form a corresponding design in regular stitches and a surrounding background in tuck stitches on the opposite face of the fabric directly behind the design on the first said face thereof, stitch cams respectively co-operating with the dial and cylinder needles subsequent to the selections by the pattern wheels to effect casting of stitches from certain of said. needles in accordance with the selection by the pattern wheels, means for feeding a thread to the needles at a point intermediate the pattern wheels and the said stitch cams, cams adapted to be placed in co-operative relation with the needles intermediate the thread feed and the stitch cams to cancel all selections made by the pattern wheels, means for throwing one of said stitch cams out of action whereby the set of needles controlled thereby will hold their stitches to form tuck stitches on one face of the fabric while the other of said stitch cams is casting the stitches from set of needles which it controls to form regular stitches on the opposite face of the fabric, and means for throwing the canceling cams into action substantially simultaneously with the throwing out of the said stitch cam.

7. In a circular rib knitting machine having a set of cylinder needles and a set of dial needles, the combination of a pattern wheel co-operatin with one of said sets of needles to form a isign in tuck stitches and a surrounding ba'ckground in regular stitches on one face of the fabric, a second pattern wheel coordinately associated with the first said pattern wheel and co-operating with the other of said sets of needles to form a corresponding design in regular stitches and a surround ing background in tuck stitches on the oppos te face of the fabric directly behind the design on the first said face thereof, stitch cams respectively co-operating with the dial and cylinder needles subsequent to the selections by the pattern wheels to effect casting of stitches from certain of said needles in accordance with the selection by the pattern wheels, means for feeding a thread to the needles at a point intermediate the pattern wheels and the said stitch cams, cams adapted to be placed in co-operative relation with the needles intermediate the thread feed and the stitch cams to cancel all selections made" by the pattern wheels, means'for throwing one of said stitch cams out of action whereby the set of needles controlled thereby willhold their stitches to form tuck stitches on one face of the fabric while the other of said stitch cams s casting the stitches from set of needles which it controls to form regular stitches on the opposte face of the fabric, means for moving the said canceling cams into action, and common actuating means for the stitch cam throw-out mechanism and the canceling cam throw-in mechanism.

8. In a circular rib knitting mach ne having a set of cylinder needles and a set of dial needles, the combination of a pattern wheel co-operating with onevof said sets of needles to form a design in tuck stitches and a sur-' rounding background in regular stitches on one face of thefabric, a second pattern wheel coordinately associated with the first said pattern wheel and co-operating with the other of said sets of needles to form a corresponding design in regular stitches and a surrounding background in tuck stitches on the opposite face of the fabric directly behind the design on the first said face thereof,

stitch cams respectively co-operating with the dial and cylinder needles subsequent to the selections by the pattern wheels to effect casting of stitches from certain of said needles in accordance with the selection by the pat- .tern wheels, means for feeding a thread to the needles at a vpoint intermediate the pattern wheels and the said stitch cams adapted to be placed in co-operative relation with the needles intermediate the thread feed and the stitch cams. to cancel all selections made by the pattern wheels, means for throwing one of said stitch cams out of action whereby the set of needles controlled thereby willhold their stitches to form tuck stitches course of stitches, holding the stitches of the on one face of the fabric while the other of said stitch cams is casting the stitches from set ofneedles which it controls to form regular stitches on the opposite face of the fabric, 'means for -moving the said canceling cams into action, common actuating means for the stitch cam throw-out mechanism and the canceling cam throw-in mechanism, and common actuating means for throwing the canceling cams out offaction and the stitch cam into action.

9. A method of producing designs directly behind each other onthe reverse" faces respectively of tubular knit ribbed fabric, said method comprising the formation of a first course of stitches by a first thread on the cylinder and dial needles of a circular rib knittin machine, selecting certain needles of e'ac' set to hold their'stitches of the'said first course to form tuck stitches on the opposite faces of the fabric respectively, and selecting other needles in eachset adjacent and alternatin with the first said selected needles to cast t eir stitches to form regular stitches on the opposite faces of the fabric respectively in alternate relation to the tuck stitches to be formed on the first selected nedles, feeding a second thread to all the needles subsequent to the selections for the formation of a second first and second courses on the needles selected for tucking while the needles selected for the formation 'of regular stitches are the first said thread to all the needles and I caused to cast their stitches, again feeding subsequentlycausing all the needles to cast all the stitches held thereby to form a new course of'stitches to be presented for selec- 4 tion for a repeat of the operation.

I JOSEPH SAFTLA'SQ 

